Argh! I once bought a Patria on a swiss auction site, which looked good on the pictures. “Everything works”. In reality, it turned out that the drawband had snapped and I since haven't been able to repair that – terribly complicated to access. The metal piece, formerly holding the drawband, however, had been taped to the top of the machine – totally different from the state shown on the photos.

Oh, that would have been a nasty shock. I paid a fair bit for this machine, and it was disappointing to say the least. I just happened to have a machine that I could use as a donor for a platen, while I got this guy sorted.

The pitfalls that the internet has provided us. Of course, we have far greater access to machines then those collecting before, but there is always the risk. I am glad to hear that you could, at least, find a donor platen until you get that one off to JJ. Good luck!

That's why I appreciate the sellers that show all the machine's faults when listing it…and don't list it for an exorbitant price. I told you some about the Oliver 5 Print-type that just arrived; one thing I failed to mention is that I had asked the seller specifically if the carriage advanced when keys were pressed, and they said it did. Lo and behold, when she arrived, the drawband was in two…and looked as if it had been that way for years. The seller had also claimed to type with this critter, but the ribbon was so far beyond its lifespan that I'm half surprised it didn't crumble in my hands when I removed it. No padding between typer and case (and I saw Richard's comment about shipping the case separately after she was already in the post) and she's missing paint on her backside as a result of bouncing about…and of all things, she arrived in a banana box! Haven't said anything to the seller about it, however, because I didn't pay anything for shipping.

At least the platen is still somewhat supple! No nails and no cracks. 😉